I just installed my SmartThings on Sunday (03-20-16) I just seems like there are so many things that don’t work right.

The good bye routine doesn’t work.

When my wifes phone arrives, don’t get notification, but I can look at My Home and show she is present

When my wifes does arrived, it wont switch from away to stay, but my phone the I’m back routine works
My Set up very basic right now all I have Is the Hub and 4 multipurpose sensors.
I have been a huge supporter of SmartThings, just wish it would work correctly

I have been very interested in Smart things Since I saw it at CES 2013. I have told alot of people to look into Smart Things and have always told people how great it is. Its probably my fault i didnt find the community site sooner, Truthfully i never tried looking for a community site, but all the videos I have seen all talk about how great the product is and how it works perfect. I didnt see/watch any video talking about the Issues it had (maybe I had blinders on and didnt what watch issue videos). At least im not alone, I have seen a few other post of people have the same issues. I dont know anyone else that has Smartthings.
Just had to Vent.
Im hopeful the issue will get resolved

With absolutely no sarcasm or snark intended, may I ask you a question?

How and why have you been “a huge supporter” of a product that you’ve never used and don’t know its history of issues?

Other than a brief test drive and countless hours spent drooling over, both in their “showrooms” and on the road, I’m a huge supporter of the Tesla Model S… but technically, I’ve never used it and don’t know much about its history of issues. And I’ve told a few who have the means and were willing to listen to at least go for a test drive to compare against the BMW, Benz or Audi they were looking at

Not true. When you’re buying a product being advertised for all ST does, you shouldn’t need to go online and find a forum for it. I own Nest products. They have a forum of their own which I never visit, and still their products have been 100% reliable to me.

No sir, this is not your fault. This is all on ST.

Just so you have an idea of how frustrated people are, since I am moving shortly, I decided to remove everything from ST and play with old Wink for a while. I figure that from now to when I move, things should get “fixed”.

Other than a brief test drive and countless hours spent drooling over, both in their “showrooms” and on the road, I’m a huge supporter of the Tesla Model S…

That’s funny, Jova … after I wrote my post, I searched my thoughts for a product or brand that I “support” based on its reputation and the media and such – but haven’t actually used; and believe it or not, the Tesla Model S was exactly what came to mind!

I asked my question of @rolnlow because I like to study and understand consumer behavior.

Marketers face an important challenge: They need to make a product extremely attractive to consumers, but if they set expectations too high, then that increases the chance of disappointed customers. It is a balancing act; but the bias is on the over-promise side of the equation.

In other words, marketing materials and PR of any sort are likely to be unreliable; regardless, it also true that consumers are inherently optimistic about their purchases, especially of new gadgets. Unless someone is buying a particular brand, product or model specifically because it is much “cheaper” than other choices and known to have compromises, a consumer doesn’t make a purchase if they expect any significant level of disappointment. Usually it is the opposite – consumers expect to be impressed with the speed and features of their new phone, the incredible picture of their new TV, the sweet smooth ride of their new Tesla… and the simple “magic” of their new SmartThings smart home…

But “buyer beware” (caveat emptor) is hardly a new concept. Depending on the cost and/or importance of the purchase, many folks spend hours researching and comparing choices. In the case of SmartThings, the gadget media (nor Consumer Reports) hasn’t been a source of good information because this industry is new, there are few competitors, and, frankly, the gadget media itself leans towards optimism and like showing off the shiny side of new technology rather than look for its current weaknesses or admit that stuff isn’t quite ready for prime time yet. Heck – the worst transgression over the past few years is for the gadget media to do “reviews” of Kickstarter and IndieGogo listed items that don’t even exist yet except in skeletal vaporware form.

###Lower expectations = eventually happier customer.

I totally agree that SmartThings’s marketing machine sets too high expectations; and the media has been complicit. The existence of this open community forum, however, provides a great source of research. It’s web address should be printed in large type on every advertisement, sales website, and box.

It’s web address should be printed in large type on every advertisement, sales website, and box

Wholeheartedly agree, but they will never do that. It would scare people off if they new the truth or saw the frustration of the current user base and its problems. I can’t begin to fathom how someone that has little tech knowledge even starts to get their head around the problems they are facing right now and once they find this community are probably in shock. That is if they even got to the point of getting it up and running to begin with.

tgauchat:

frankly, the gadget media itself leans towards optimism and like showing off the shiny side of new technology rather than look for its current weaknesses or admit that stuff isn’t quite ready for prime time yet

I too had high hopes for ST when I bought in and I thought I had done quite a bit of research. If I had gotten to this community first, I’m not sure I would have been quick to spend as much as I have. I probably would have still bought in, but it would have been to a much smaller degree at first. I quickly realized ST is NOT the system it is advertised to be and I’m willing to put up with some of the issues only because I consider myself an “early adopter” and understand the pitfalls that come with such a title. I, like most, also have an IT background and can navigate through some of the troubleshooting waters a little better than someone who may not have similar experience.

tgauchat:

Lower expectations = eventually happier customer.

I have lowered my expectations a great deal. Since I’ve done so, I’ve become much more happy and relaxed regarding this system. I’m very grateful for this community and the people in it for the help they provide and I’m optimistic that ST with the backing of Samsung will become a system we are proud to say we got into.

My mom really liked the idea of being able to close the garage door remotely because it happens to all of us as we drive a couple of blocks away wondering if we remembered to close the garage door. I honestly could not recommend a SmartThings solution so I looked at Chamberlain MYQ but ultimately decided against that as well because you still don’t really know if the garage door is actually shut unless you are able to visually look at it. So, the interim solution was to simply install an IP camera to give her that peace of mind that the garage door is indeed closed (which it is 99% of the time).

the interim solution was to simply install an IP camera to give her that peace of mind that the garage door is indeed closed (which it is 99% of the time).

If you went with Nest cam, you may want to reconsider My Q as it works with Nest now. You can actually open the cam from MyQ app via Nest app. Not really one app solution, but a big step forward in addressing exactly the problem you had.

If you went with Nest cam, you may want to reconsider My Q as it works with Nest now. You can actually open the cam from MyQ app via Nest app. Not really one app solution, but a big step forward in addressing exactly the problem you had.

Good to know, I’ll consider that if my mom finds that driving back to close the garage door becomes too annoying.